Michael Dugher
Main Page: Michael Dugher (Labour - Barnsley East)Department Debates - View all Michael Dugher's debates with the Cabinet Office
(10 years ago)
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Michael Dugher (Barnsley East) (Lab)
Earlier this year, the Prime Minister boasted in a speech in Davos that under his Government
“there is a chance for Britain to become the ‘Re-Shore Nation’.”
However, the chief executive of Steria has said that offshoring jobs is “on the agenda” for outsourced civil servants working for Shared Services Connected Ltd, in which the Government retain a 25% stake. Does the Minister share my concern that up to 1,000 jobs might be offshored? Will the Government use their stake in the joint venture to argue that those jobs should be kept in the UK?
Mr Maude
We will take the same approach as the Government the hon. Gentleman supported—I think he was an adviser to the last Government—when they set up NHS Shared Business Services, which is also a joint venture with Steria. A number of jobs were offshored, but Britain has benefited because that entity has also created more jobs in the UK. We take the same approach as his Government took.
I will cheerfully take up your sensible suggestion, Mr Speaker, of writing to my hon. Friend the Member for Kettering (Mr Hollobone).